MAN
CHARGED WITH ACTING AS AN UNLICENSED GUN DEALER; FOUR OTHERS ARRESTED
ON GUN CHARGES

Attorney
General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that, as a result
of a joint investigation with the Baltimore County Police Departments
Firearms Violence Team, five people have been charged with crimes
involving the illegal sale and possession of various regulated firearms,
with such conduct stretching from Baltimore County to Baltimore
City and Harford County.

Gerry
James Hege, 30, 8064 Roslyn Avenue, Baltimore County, was charged
in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with one count of Selling
Regulated Firearms without a Regulated Dealers License, and
nine counts of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm. Hege is
alleged to have engaged in the business of selling, renting, and
transferring regulated firearms for nearly two years without being
properly licensed by the State of Maryland. It is further alleged
that he unlawfully sold numerous handguns, as well as an assault
rifle, without complying with any of the transfer requirements set
by Maryland law, including that the prospective buyer complete a
Maryland State Police Application and Affidavit to Purchase a Regulated
Firearm--designed to ensure that individuals prohibited by law from
possessing guns are not sold such weapons.

Ronald
Gorman Frank, 41, 3523 Prospect Road, Street, Harford County, was
charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with three counts
of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm, and three counts of
Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Frank is also charged
in the Circuit Court for Harford County with seven counts of Illegal
Possession of a Regulated Firearm. Frank is alleged to have illegally
purchased several guns from Hege, as he allegedly failed to complete
the required paperwork. Further, Frank is charged with illegally
possessing numerous regulated firearms, including an assault weapon,
while being prohibited by law from possessing such weapons as a
result of a previous felony conviction.

Travis
Todd Bynaker, 1113 Anglesea Street, Baltimore City, was charged
in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with three counts of Illegal
Transfer of a Regulated Firearm, and three counts of Illegal Possession
of a Regulated Firearm. Bynaker was also charged in the Circuit
Court for Baltimore City with one count of Illegal Possession of
a Regulated Firearm. Bynaker is alleged to have purchased several
guns from Hege without completing the required paperwork, and is
further alleged to be prohibited by law from possessing such weapons
as a result of a disqualifying misdemeanor conviction.

Scott
Kreh, 33, 609 Mace Avenue, Baltimore County, was charged in the
Circuit Court for Baltimore County with six counts of Illegal Transfer
of a Regulated Firearm. Kreh is not only alleged to have bought
guns from Hege without completing the required transfer paperwork,
but he is also charged with selling a handgun to a person who is
was under the age of 21 at the time, and thus, prohibited from lawfully
possessing a handgun under Maryland law.

Ryan
Forrest Thomas, 21, 2215 Line Bridge Road, Whiteford, Harford County,
was charged in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County with one count
of Illegal Transfer of a Regulated Firearm, and one count of Illegal
Possession of a Regulated Firearm by a Person Under the Age of 21.
Thomas was also charged in the Circuit Court for Harford County
with one count of Illegal Possession of a Regulated Firearm by a
Person Under the Age of 21. He is alleged to have illegally purchased
a handgun from Scott Kreh by not completing the required paperwork.
Thomas is further charged with illegally possessing the handgun
because he was under the age of 21 at the time, and thus, unable
to legally purchase or possess a handgun.

This case was investigated by the Baltimore County Police Departments
Firearms Violence Team, and will be prosecuted by the Firearms Trafficking
Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. The Firearms Trafficking
Unit is funded from grants received from the Governors Office
on Crime Control and Prevention, and the Maryland State Police Cease
Fire Council.